South Africa

The winds of political change in South Africa may bring a renaissance of interest in South African wines, helped by one of the most favourable exchange rates in the business. The recipe for success is there climatically – two oceans, two weather systems and two deep-sea currents meet at the Cape, leading to a diversity of weather between regions, and even on a given day! This means that areas such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, Elgin and Constantia are really not far apart, but they all have a propensity to succeed with different types of grapes. The wine culture is almost the oldest in the New World, being brought by French Huguenots in the years after 1685 and with them cuttings of vines including Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc. Franschhoek even means ‘French Corner’! A second, rather different form of migration has helped immeasurably; that is the wave of Europeans who go to South Africa in our winter months sustaining an industry of wine tourism, and then seeking out favourite wines back home in Europe.